Passing the Three Trials

"One Palace refers to the overwhelmingly domineering force. It is said that those within cultivate ancient demonic arts, and their actions are secretive and unfathomable."

"Then there are Heavenly Mystery Hall and Spirit Hall, both incomparably mysterious. Their cultivation methods are said to reach beyond the realms of yin and yang. Heavenly Mystery Hall excels at deducing the secrets of heaven and is rumored to foresee the future."

"As for Sifang Pavilion..." Langya Xing counted on his fingers. "Sword King Pavilion specializes in the sword path; everyone in the pavilion is a master swordsman. Evil Spirit Pavilion cultivates all manner of bizarre arts and is the most troublesome to deal with. Pill Pavilion excels at refining pills and medicine—more than half the spiritual pills in the cultivation world come from their hands. Misty Pavilion comes and goes without a trace and rarely shows itself."

At this point, Langya Xing pointed to the Jade Pendant at his waist. "Next are the Eight Great Families. Our Langya Family ranks fifth among them."

Mu Bai listened intently, gaining a new understanding of just how vast and complex the cultivation world was.

He had never imagined that beyond the Great Yan Kingdom where he had lived, there was such a boundless world.

They continued along the mountain path, occasionally encountering disciples of the Langya Family along the way.

When these disciples saw Langya Xing and Steward Qin, they all bowed in greeting.

Before long, a majestic cluster of buildings came into view.

Pavilions and towers stood in harmonious rows, their upturned eaves and elaborate brackets displaying extravagance. Every structure was exquisitely carved, filled with an ancient yet mysterious aura.

"This is the core region of the Langya Family." Langya Xing said. "Once you meet the family head, you'll have officially joined the Langya Family. Then I'll show you around and let you see the foundations of my Langya Family."

Mu Bai nodded, both expectant and nervous.

Led by Steward Qin, they passed through layer after layer of buildings and arrived before a grand hall.

Two guards clad in silver armor stood ramrod-straight before the hall. Their eyes shone like torches, and powerful auras radiated from their bodies.

Steward Qin stepped forward and said to the guards, "Quickly inform the family head that Young Master Langya Xing has returned."

The guards nodded and turned to enter the hall.

A moment later, one of the silver-armored guards emerged from the hall and whispered a few words into Steward Qin's ear.

Steward Qin's expression instantly turned far uglier.

He walked over and said in a low voice, "Young Master Xing, the family head has decreed that Young Master Mu must first pass the Three Trials before he may enter the main hall to meet the family head."

Langya Xing frowned. "Why haven't I heard of this?"

"The order was issued only this morning." Steward Qin said with an unpleasant expression. "Young Master Xin proposed it, and the Second Elder and Seventh Elder supported it."

A burst of finger force shot from Langya Xing's fingertips, punching a small hole through the stone slabs beneath him.

He sneered, a cold gleam flashing in his eyes. "What a Langya Xin! So this is him trying to put me in my place!"

Turning to Mu Bai, he said, "It seems someone can't wait to test you."

Mu Bai tightened his grip on the Qinglin Sword, his gaze sweeping over the hall before him.

"Only three trials." Mu Bai slowly drew his sword, its blade carving a streak of azure radiance beneath the sunlight. "Perfect. Let me see what the Langya Family's tests are made of!"

His voice was not loud, yet it carried clearly through the mountains, startling a flock of birds into flight.

The birds flapped toward the nine floating islands, turning into specks of black amid the seven-colored rosy light before swiftly vanishing from sight.

At the trial grounds.

Mu Bai stood upon a circular platform paved with blue jade. Dozens of Langya Family members stood around him, their robes snapping in the morning breeze as they stared at the youth in the center with piercing eyes.

"Is this the newly arrived Guest Elder? He looks very young..." A woman quietly said to her companion, surprise evident in her voice.

"Yes, and Young Master Xing of the main family personally invited him. This Guest Elder must surely be exceptionally gifted and extraordinarily strong." Her companion replied softly, her tone equally curious.

"But then again, under normal circumstances, if a young master of the main family guaranteed for him, a newly arrived Guest Elder usually wouldn't need to undergo these so-called Three Trials..." At that moment, a man suddenly interjected, a puzzled look appearing on his face.

"Shh..." Someone beside him quickly signaled for him to lower his voice, then whispered, "I happen to know a little of the inside story. I heard this matter seems to involve several young masters of the main family..."

The man's eyes lit up at once, and he hurriedly leaned closer, wanting to hear the full story.

Just then.

"The first trial: testing talent."

A steward with white hair and beard approached from afar, carrying what appeared to be an ordinary gray stone in his hands.

The stone was roughly the size of a palm, its surface covered in fine patterns. At first glance, it seemed utterly unremarkable, yet every Langya clansman present held their breath.

"The Martial Cultivation Stone." Langya Xing whispered into Mu Bai's ear. "One of the Langya Family's three greatest treasures. It can test the essence of a martial artist's talent."

The white-haired steward placed the Martial Cultivation Stone onto a jade pedestal at the center of the grounds, then stepped back three paces. "Place your hand on the stone and circulate your true qi."

Mu Bai took a deep breath and slowly stepped forward.

He could feel countless gazes stabbing into his back like sharp arrows. Several of those auras were so powerful that the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end.

So there are Grandmasters of Martial Arts here as well. This is the Langya Family—even among the clansmen merely watching, there are several Grandmasters of Martial Arts!

The instant his palm touched the Martial Cultivation Stone, a strange warm current surged into his body through his arm.

The stone first emitted a faint white glow, then its color began to change—light red, pink, bright red...

"It's already vermilion!" someone in the crowd cried out.

The color continued to deepen—scarlet, dark red... When the Martial Cultivation Stone became a deep crimson like blood, several stewards at the edge of the grounds could no longer hold themselves back and rose to their feet.

"Deep crimson! Another deep-crimson talent!"

The last time dark red had appeared was three hundred years ago, with the Star-Picking Ancestor!

Before the discussions had even died down, the Martial Cultivation Stone's color suddenly changed again—a flash of purple light bloomed from its core and swiftly spread, and in the blink of an eye, the entire stone had turned a dazzling violet!

Th-this... was impossible!

The Martial Cultivation Stone had never displayed purple!

The sidelines erupted in an uproar.

Two powerful auras surged in from afar. Two white-haired, white-bearded elders appeared in the arena out of thin air, the pressure radiating from them making even the air turn viscous.

"Two Elders!" The entire venue was thrown into commotion. Everyone present promptly bowed respectfully to the two Innate Elders.

The steward on the field was breaking out in cold sweat as well. Never before had he seen elders of such exalted status as Innate experts appear at the Three Passes.

"This child is extraordinarily gifted. He should enter my tutelage!" The red-faced elder spoke first.

"Bullshit! I'm clearly the one who should teach him!" the other, tall and gaunt elder immediately retorted.

Just as the two elders were locked in dispute, the sky suddenly darkened.

A withered, skeletal hand reached down from midair and pressed lightly.

All sound vanished at once.

"Shut up."

The voice was not loud, yet it made the hearts and souls of everyone present tremble.

At some point, a white-haired old man with a hunched back had appeared beside the Martial Cultivation Stone. The gray robes on his body were tattered beyond repair, yet they emanated a suffocating pressure.

"Gr-Grand Elder!" The two arguing elders immediately dropped to their knees.

The old man ignored them, instead studying Mu Bai with his clouded eyes. "Purple... interesting."

He extended a finger like a dead branch and lightly tapped Mu Bai between the brows. "Let us see the next two passes."

With that, the old man's figure dispersed like smoke, as though he had never appeared at all.

Yet that suffocating pressure lingered above the testing grounds for a long time.

So much so that not a single person present dared to speak.

The two elders exchanged a glance and did not dare say another word either. They merely stepped aside, intending to continue watching.

"The first pass, cleared. Result: First Class." The white-haired steward wiped the cold sweat from his brow as he announced.